1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to agricultural machines and, more particularly, is concerned with an irrigation furrow and raised seed bed forming machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In farming in fields where crops must be irrigated, it is common practice to make furrows in the field before planting. Not only well-formed irrigation furrows but also the preparation of smooth and level raised seed beds between the furrows is desired. The process of forming the irrigation furrows and raised seed beds is referred to as "bedding". During irrigation, water seeps and soaks into the beds from the furrows.
Bedding the field before planting is necessary for a variety of reasons and usually depends on the type of crop to be grown. For example, in vegetable production it is common practice to bed the ground before planting. This allows the farmer to do a more accurate job of planting by concentrating only on the operation of the planter since the forming of the soil into beds has already been accomplished. Another reason for bedding the field before planting is to allow the farmer to irrigate the field before the crop is planted. This is necessary to supply needed moisture to later germinate the crop seeds and to sprout weed seeds that might be located in the seed bed area. After they have sprouted, the weeds can be destroyed by cultivation before or during planting of the crop.
In bedding the field, the farmer desires to produce irrigation furrows and raised beds of high quality. This means that the furrows and beds must be of proper size and shape. Also, the beds must be free from large clods, substantially level and lightly packed so that the water in the furrows will soak across the bed area. In order to achieve the desired quality of field bedding, a machine suitably versatile and adjustable to accommodate varying conditions must be provided.
Irrigation furrows and raised seed beds typically have been prepared by specialized machines which are only used in bedding the fields before planting. Different machines have been proposed in the prior patent art for forming irrigation furrows and shaping and leveling raised seed beds. Some machines representative of the patented prior art are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. to Williams (3,316,865), Wells (3,437,061) and Taylor (3,538,987).
While these particular machines probably operate satisfactorily under the limited range of conditions for which they were designed, none of these machines appear to be sufficiently versatile and adjustable to be capable of providing raised seed beds and irrigation furrows of the quality desired. Consequently, a need still exists for improvements in the design of an irrigation furrow and raised seed bed forming machine for use in bedding fields.